Patents by Inventor Michele Grande

Michele Grande has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20180248398
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a power supply, for example, for battery chargers of mobile telephones, includes: a control circuit having a driving terminal coupled to a control terminal of a power transistor, where the power transistor drives a primary winding of a transformer of the power supply; a current sense input for detecting a first current flowing through the power transistor; and a switched signal generator coupled to the driving terminal, the switched signal having a period that is the sum of an active time, a dead time, and a demagnetization time of the transformer. The control circuit also includes a control network coupled to the current sense input and to the switched signal generator; a regulating network having a detection unit configured to detect the first current reaching a lower limit; and a variation unit configured to increment the dead time when the active time reaches the lower limit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2017
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Inventors: Alfio Pasqua, Michele Grande, Salvatore Tumminaro
  • Patent number: 8576930
    Abstract: A receiver of a signal communication apparatus; the apparatus including a transmitter adapted to transmit coded signals, the receiver for receiving the signal and a wireless interface interposed between the transmitter and the receiver and having a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna. The receiver includes a decoder configured to decode the received signal and circuitry coupled to the receiving antenna and capable of triggering the decoder if the value of the received signal is outside a logical hysteresis having a first logic threshold having a value smaller than the value of the direct current component of the received signal and a second logic threshold having a value greater than the value of the direct current component of the received signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: STMicoelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Giovanni Lombardo, Salvatore Giombanco, Michele Grande, Salvatore Tumminaro, Filippo Marino
  • Patent number: 8478332
    Abstract: A receiver of a signal communication apparatus; the apparatus having a transmitter for transmitting the signals, the receiver for receiving the signals and a galvanically isolated wireless interface interposed between the transmitter and the receiver and having a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna. The receiver including a disturbance rejection circuit coupled to the receiving antenna and capable of compensating for the parasite currents flowing between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna at the potential variations between the input and output of the galvanic isolation interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics, S.R.L.
    Inventors: Salvatore Giombanco, Michele Grande, Giovanni Lombardo, Salvatore Tumminaro, Filippo Marino
  • Patent number: 8270184
    Abstract: An embodiment of a voltage converter, provided with: a voltage transformer having a primary winding receiving an input voltage, a secondary winding supplying an output voltage, and an auxiliary winding supplying a feedback voltage correlated to the output voltage; a main switch, coupled to the primary winding; a control circuit, which controls switching of the main switch and has a sampling stage for sampling and holding the feedback voltage and supplying a sampled signal; and a voltage limiting circuit, provided with a clamp capacitor, designed to be coupled across the primary winding. A sampling control stage is coupled to the sampling stage, and is designed, during a given operating condition of the voltage converter, to enable updating of the sampled signal on the basis of a state of charge of the clamp capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Michele Grande, Salvatore Tumminaro, Salvatore Giombanco, Alfio Pasqua, Claudio Adragna
  • Patent number: 8199531
    Abstract: An embodiment of a voltage converter includes: voltage-transformer means having a primary side, designed to receive an input voltage, and a secondary side, designed to supply an output voltage; control-switch means coupled to said primary side; and a control circuit, coupled to a control terminal of said control-switch means and designed to control switching thereof as a function of a first signal correlated to said output voltage; said control circuit being provided with an error-amplifier stage, designed to process a difference between said first signal and a reference signal, wherein said error-amplifier stage is configured so as to have a transconductance characteristic with a linear-operation region, having a given slope, and at least one first clamped region, which has a slope lower than said given slope and is contiguous to said linear-operation region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Michele Grande, Salvatore Tumminaro, Claudio Adragna
  • Patent number: 8199532
    Abstract: An embodiment of a voltage converter, designed to convert an input voltage into a regulated output voltage, having: a voltage transformer having a primary winding receiving the input voltage, a secondary winding supplying the output voltage (Vout), and an auxiliary winding supplying a feedback signal correlated to the output voltage; a control switch, connected to the primary winding; and a control circuit, connected to a control terminal of the control switch for controlling switching thereof as a function of the feedback signal. The control circuit is provided with a sampling stage that samples the feedback signal and supplies a sampled signal. An averager stage is connected to the output of the sampling stage and implements a low-pass filtering of the sampled signal so as to reduce undesirable oscillations due to sampling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Michele Grande, Salvatore Tumminaro, Claudio Adragna
  • Publication number: 20110026612
    Abstract: A receiver of a signal communication apparatus; the apparatus including a transmitter adapted to transmit coded signals, the receiver for receiving the signal and a wireless interface interposed between the transmitter and the receiver and having a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna. The receiver includes a decoder configured to decode the received signal and circuitry coupled to the receiving antenna and capable of triggering the decoder if the value of the received signal is outside a logical hysteresis having a first logic threshold having a value smaller than the value of the direct current component of the received signal and a second logic threshold having a value greater than the value of the direct current component of the received signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Publication date: February 3, 2011
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Giovanni Lombardo, Salvatore Giombanco, Michele Grande, Salvatore Tumminaro, Filippo Marino
  • Publication number: 20110028104
    Abstract: A receiver of a signal communication apparatus; the apparatus having a transmitter for transmitting the signals, the receiver for receiving the signals and a galvanically isolated wireless interface interposed between the transmitter and the receiver and having a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna. The receiver including a disturbance rejection circuit coupled to the receiving antenna and capable of compensating for the parasite currents flowing between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna at the potential variations between the input and output of the galvanic isolation interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Publication date: February 3, 2011
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Salvatore Giombanco, Michele Grande, Giovanni Lombardo, Salvatore Tumminaro, Filippo Marino
  • Publication number: 20090175057
    Abstract: An embodiment of a voltage converter includes: voltage-transformer means having a primary side, designed to receive an input voltage, and a secondary side, designed to supply an output voltage; control-switch means coupled to said primary side; and a control circuit, coupled to a control terminal of said control-switch means and designed to control switching thereof as a function of a first signal correlated to said output voltage; said control circuit being provided with an error-amplifier stage, designed to process a difference between said first signal and a reference signal, wherein said error-amplifier stage is configured so as to have a transconductance characteristic with a linear-operation region, having a given slope, and at least one first clamped region, which has a slope lower than said given slope and is contiguous to said linear-operation region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Publication date: July 9, 2009
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Michele GRANDE, Salvatore TUMMINARO, Claudio ADRAGNA
  • Publication number: 20090147546
    Abstract: An embodiment of a voltage converter, provided with: a voltage transformer having a primary winding receiving an input voltage, a secondary winding supplying an output voltage, and an auxiliary winding supplying a feedback voltage correlated to the output voltage; a main switch, connected to the primary winding; a control circuit, which controls switching of the main switch and has a sampling stage for sampling and holding the feedback voltage and supplying a sampled signal; and a voltage limiting circuit, provided with a clamp capacitor, designed to be connected across the primary winding. A sampling control stage is connected to the sampling stage, and is designed, during a given operating condition of the voltage converter, to enable updating of the sampled signal on the basis of a state of charge of the clamp capacitor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Publication date: June 11, 2009
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Michele Grande, Salvatore Tumminaro, Salvatore Giombanco, Alfio Pasqua, Claudio Adragna
  • Publication number: 20090141520
    Abstract: An embodiment of a voltage converter, designed to convert an input voltage into a regulated output voltage, having: a voltage transformer having a primary winding receiving the input voltage, a secondary winding supplying the output voltage (Vout), and an auxiliary winding supplying a feedback signal correlated to the output voltage; a control switch, connected to the primary winding; and a control circuit, connected to a control terminal of the control switch for controlling switching thereof as a function of the feedback signal. The control circuit is provided with a sampling stage that samples the feedback signal and supplies a sampled signal. An averager stage is connected to the output of the sampling stage and implements a low-pass filtering of the sampled signal so as to reduce undesirable oscillations due to sampling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Publication date: June 4, 2009
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Michele Grande, Salvatore Tumminaro, Claudio Adragna